Autonomy Chief Engineer

About the company

Electra develops hybrid-electric eSTOL aircraft with distributed electric propulsion and blown lift, turbine genset in-flight recharging, carrying 7–9 passengers or ~3,000 lb from very short unimproved runways.

About this role

<div class="content-intro"><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>About Electra</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">At Electra, we’re building the EL9 — a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet. Our Ultra Short technology unlocks thousands of new operating locations and enables what we call Direct Aviation: quiet, point-to-point regional travel that gets people from where they are to where they want to go, without the congestion of major airports or the noise of conventional aviation.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;">A global company, headquartered in Manassas, VA, Electra is backed by Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and Safran, has filed for FAA Part 23 type certification, and carries 2,000+ intent to purchase from operators worldwide. We’re a team of ~100 people moving fast toward first EL9 test flights in 2027 and certification by late 2029 or 2030. Every hire matters at this stage — and this role is no exception.</span></p></div><p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>The Role</strong></span></p> <p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Electra seeks a highly experienced Autonomy Chief Engineer to lead the design and integration of flight autonomy systems on future variants of Electra's flagship nine-passenger EL9 aircraft and other new products. This role will serve as a primary architect and system integrator, with emphasis on understanding the customer use cases to build conviction on the internal requirements before executing the program by maturing the design and partnerships through successful gate reviews. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>What You'll Do</strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">Customer and Partner Engagement</span></strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Partner with internal government and commercial programs leaders to deeply understand the real needs of the customers, not just their explicitly stated goals</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Synthesize these inputs to develop system requirements and concept of operation that define what Electra will develop to. </span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Assess state of suppliers for various elements of the autonomy architecture including system components, support infrastructure, and data. Lead supplier/partner engagement and selection efforts.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Support internal and external communication of Electra's autonomy strategy </span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Technical Integration and Design Maturity</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Define autonomy concept of operations, functional decomposition, and system architecture</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Develop integration strategies aligned with existing EL9 aircraft design</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Evaluate architectures and interfaces for completeness, performance, and integration risk</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Partner with the EL9 PMO to conduct trade studies for autonomous capability enhancements</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Requirements Development and Traceability</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Lead the development of requirements for EL9 autonomy system, including both aircraft requirements and non-aircraft associated elements.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Develop operational plan for the system including training systems, operational specifications, minimum equipment lists, etc. </span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Collaborate with product development teams to ensure sound requirements flowdown and traceability.</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Assess verification approaches to confirm practicality and alignment with program objectives.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span data-contrast="none">Gate&nbsp;Review and Development Plan</span></strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Assemble development and test plan for autonomy systems</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Lead gate reviews as design matures</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">In collaboration with the Certification Team, support the development of a initial certification strategy with the relevant airworthiness authorities, especially defense authorities. </span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;" data-contrast="none">Provide recommendations to program leadership.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>What You'll Bring</strong></span></p> <ul> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience ( advanced degree preferred)</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">US Persons required</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Extensive experience (typically 12+ years) in flight autonomy or highly automated systems development</span></li> <li style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Proven ownership of complex a